Nuclear launch codes even Spaceballs would reject.

[BryanP]

Fun fact of the day:

Today I found out that during the height of the Cold War, the US military put such an emphasis on a rapid response to an attack on American soil, that to minimize any foreseeable delay in launching a nuclear missile, for nearly two decades they intentionally set the launch codes at every silo in the US to 8 zeroes.

www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/11/nearly-two-decades-nuclear-launch-code-minuteman-silos-united-states-00000000/

[Ben]

   
"Destruct sequence 1, code 1-1 A."
"Destruct sequence 2, code 1-1 A-2B."
"Destruct sequence 3, code 1 B-2B-3."
"Code zero zero zero. Destruct. Zero."
 

[Ned Hamford]

Well, that certainly makes all those stories of almost launching our nukes all the more terrifying. 

[Hawkmoon]

Well, that certainly makes all those stories of almost launching our nukes all the more terrifying. 

Makes one wonder what the big deal was about the guy who was always shadowing the President, carrying the "football."

[BryanP]

Makes one wonder what the big deal was about the guy who was always shadowing the President, carrying the "football."

Based on the article, he may not have known.

[Brad Johnson]

I think it's genious application of psychology.  If you're going to have an 8 digit numerical code, make it so comically obvious that people trying to crack it won't bother because they think it is so comically obvious.  It's the math version of Hiding In Plain Sight.

Brad

[AJ Dual]

I think it's genious application of psychology.  If you're going to have an 8 digit numerical code, make it so comically obvious that people trying to crack it won't bother because they think it is so comically obvious.  It's the math version of Hiding In Plain Sight.

Brad

Yah, but Mega-Maid is going to steal all the air.

[BryanP]

Yah, but Mega-Maid is going to steal all the air.

Not to mention his luggage.

[robear]

"Destruct sequence 1, code 1-1 A."
"Destruct sequence 2, code 1-1 A-2B."
"Destruct sequence 3, code 1 B-2B-3."
"Code zero zero zero. Destruct. Zero."

Kirk, Scotty, Chekov, Kirk, if I am not mistaken...

edited: and that's without looking!!!

[MillCreek]

^^^ No, no, no.  It would be Kirk, Spock and Scotty.  Ensign Chekov would just be there to look somber and cute in his mop-top haircut.

[RevDisk]

Long story short, the military wasn't happy with PALs being put on nuclear weapons. PALs are designed to ensure a nuclear weapon cannot be detonated without command authorization. So, it's a lockout. This is nice, if everything works as it should and there's no communication issues. The military wanted its weapons to work even under the worst of circumstances. So the "launch codes" were set to all zeros to ensure the weapons could be launched if the Soviets decided to go with a first strike instead of sitting around doing nothing because everyone with the codes is dead or out of communication.

These are not the codes that the President has in the football that gets carried around. Those are authentication codes, and they can't be used to directly launch a nuclear weapon. I know this is contrary to every bad movie made involving nuclear launch codes. They authenticate the President as being the President, and that his orders are verified.

Even with the PAL lockouts being set to all zero, you needed a number of people intentionally working together to launch an armed nuclear weapon.
OTOH, it'd be pretty much easier to manufacture a new nuclear weapon than try to hotwire an existing nuclear weapon to detonate without the PAL codes.

[MillCreek]

So the article talks of the PALs on the missile warheads, but is silent on the bombs being carried hither and yon by our favorite heavy bomber.  So could G-98 have taken us out anytime he felt like it?

[RevDisk]

So the article talks of the PALs on the missile warheads, but is silent on the bombs being carried hither and yon by our favorite heavy bomber.  So could G-98 have taken us out anytime he felt like it?

These days, all US nuclear weapons have PALs and they are being currently used/coded. I'm not briefed on current arming procedures for mobile nuclear weapons platforms.

Interesting, UK nuclear weapons do not have PALs. PRC wanted information on our PALs, which Clinton refused to share. We provided information on PALs to France and the Soviet Union. We are not allowed to share PAL information with Pakistan, and instead donated conventional military hardware to support their protection.

[Scout26]

So in Wargames WOPR should have guessed the code in precisely .01 second and launched?

That movie will never be the same.

[RevDisk]

So in Wargames WOPR should have guessed the code in precisely .01 second and launched?

That movie will never be the same.

Except humans have never been removed from the authorization/launch cycle by any nation. Even Deadhand had humans in the loop. So, while in a movie, anything can happen, it can't in the real world.

[AJ Dual]

Except humans have never been removed from the authorization/launch cycle by any nation. Even Deadhand had humans in the loop. So, while in a movie, anything can happen, it can't in the real world.

Yes, they had to show the silos getting their "upgrade" with the little computer boxes to replace the launch crews, after the "test" where one refused to turn his key etc.

[Gewehr98]

So the article talks of the PALs on the missile warheads, but is silent on the bombs being carried hither and yon by our favorite heavy bomber.  So could G-98 have taken us out anytime he felt like it?

No.

Although John Travolta made it look good in Broken Arrow. 

[erictank]

^^^ No, no, no.  It would be Kirk, Spock and Scotty.  Ensign Chekov would just be there to look somber and cute in his mop-top haircut.

Spock was (as far as Kirk & Co. knew) dead at the time. Actually regenerated and aging through his teen years down on the surface of the Genesis planet, but they didn't know.

Pretty sure robear's right. Skipped the computer responses, but his attribution is correct from what I remember from ST3.

[Ben]

Spock was (as far as Kirk & Co. knew) dead at the time. Actually regenerated and aging through his teen years down on the surface of the Genesis planet, but they didn't know.

Pretty sure robear's right. Skipped the computer responses, but his attribution is correct from what I remember from ST3.

You darn young whippersnappers. It was first used during the Golden Age of Star Trek, on the episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield". Kirk, Spock, Scotty, Kirk.

Kids these days. Get off my lawn!

[erictank]

You darn young whippersnappers. It was first used during the Golden Age of Star Trek, on the episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield". Kirk, Spock, Scotty, Kirk.

Kids these days. Get off my lawn!

With those codes? I'd seen that episode (seen 'em all, over the years), but did not remember that part. I see that Memory Alpha says it's so, though.

[Brad Johnson]

So in Wargames WOPR should have guessed the code in precisely .01 second and launched?

Wargames = WOPR with Cheese 

Brad

[Balog]

Long story short, the military wasn't happy with PALs being put on nuclear weapons. PALs are designed to ensure a nuclear weapon cannot be detonated without command authorization. So, it's a lockout. This is nice, if everything works as it should and there's no communication issues. The military wanted its weapons to work even under the worst of circumstances. So the "launch codes" were set to all zeros to ensure the weapons could be launched if the Soviets decided to go with a first strike instead of sitting around doing nothing because everyone with the codes is dead or out of communication.

These are not the codes that the President has in the football that gets carried around. Those are authentication codes, and they can't be used to directly launch a nuclear weapon. I know this is contrary to every bad movie made involving nuclear launch codes. They authenticate the President as being the President, and that his orders are verified.

Even with the PAL lockouts being set to all zero, you needed a number of people intentionally working together to launch an armed nuclear weapon.
OTOH, it'd be pretty much easier to manufacture a new nuclear weapon than try to hotwire an existing nuclear weapon to detonate without the PAL codes.

Pretty much this. The .mil working around unpopular administrative overhead, not a lack of opsec.